First Wind's request to pull Bowers application denied

Regulators have blocked First Wind's efforts to pull its application for a 27-turbine wind farm on Bowers Mountain near Lincoln. The Massachusetts-based developer asked to withdraw the application last November when it seemed regulators would deny its permit.

The Land Use Regulation Commission on Friday voted not to allow First Wind to pull its application for the wind farm on the Penobscot-Washington county line, according to a press release from the Partnership for the Preservation of the Downeast Lakes Watershed, a group opposed to the project. Last fall, LURC asked staff to prepare an order denying the application because of its impact on scenic views, leading First Wind to request the withdrawal in order to address questions. Now, LURC also asked its staff to finish writing the order and will take a final vote on May 4.

LURC reviewed First Wind's request to withdraw in December and instead gave the company three months to address the project's impact on scenic views, with a March 9 deadline for submitting an outline of a reconfigured project. At that time, however, First Wind did not submit an outline and again asked to withdraw the application.